This Coach was a basketball icon. He is in the College Basketball Hall of Fame. He also spent numeroussummers in Maine at Basketball camps. One of his favorite times was being in Maine. UMAINE has nevergotten into an NCAA tournament let alone the NIT. It is not about being from Alabama. This guy coachedat Alabama, Vanderbilt and was the AD at Kentucky. He was an Assistant Coach with Bobby Knight and theDream team that went to the Olympics. It is not about UMAINE. It is hard to explain to someone who justdoes not get what a winning Coach is all about.

Last year he was the subject of an ESPN Films production, "Courage Matters: The C.M. Newton Story." C.M. Newton was closely associated with two of the giants of intercollegiate athletics, having played for (and later competed against) Adolph Rupp and having been hired as Alabama's head basketball coach in 1968 by Crimson Tide Athletics Director Paul Bryant based on Rupp's recommendation. "Newt" as he was known to Coach Rupp, was a member of the UK 1951 national championship team. C.M. Newton came to be considered the most influential man in the game. From 1992 to 1996, he was president of USA Basketball. Under his direction professional basketball players were added to the United States Olympic basketball team, including the 1992 "Dream Team." From 1979 to 1985 he was chair of the NCAA Rules Committee. During his tenure the NCAA adopted the shot clock, the three-point line, and the coaches' box. He was a member of the NCAA Division I Basketball Committee, overseeing the NCAA Tournament from 1992 through 1999, including the last two years as chairman. In 1998 a survey done by the San Antonio Express-News proclaimed him "the most powerful man in college basketball." Coach Newton was head basketball coach for 12 years at Transylvania College in Lexington following a brief career as a pitcher in the New York Yankees chain. In 12 seasons at Alabama, Coach Newton led the Crimson Tide to a record of 211-123, and Bama became the only school other than Kentucky to win three consecutive Southeastern Conference championships (1974, 1975, and 1976). He is the only Alabama basketball coach in history to be selected back-to-back SEC Coach of the Year (1975 and 1976). His Bama squads were the first to earn National Invitation and NCAA tournament berths. Following the 1980 season, he became an assistant commissioner for the SEC. In 1981 he was back in coaching at Vanderbilt and led them to a 129-115 mark in eight years and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. His final career move was to his alma mater, becoming director of athletics at Kentucky. He was named national AD of the year in 1999 and retired in 2000, eventually moving to Tuscaloosa.

basketball_guy: C. M. Newton also spoke at a basketball clinic in Bangor, Maine in the 80's which was held at the Bangor Auditorium. I was fortunate to also speaking at the same clinic and lucky to have him speak directly before my presentation.

After the evening was over we went out to eat together and I found him to be really down to earth and a great person.

In fact, I remember him telling me that he thought that his presentation wasn't as valuable to me as mine was to him. He said he was going to use some of what I presented.

As good a player, coach, administrator and clinician as he was, he was an even greater person. First class all the way.

So, as far as I am concerned he has a Maine connection.

I would rate him as a person on a scale of one to 10 with 10 being the highest a NINE..........TEEN.

Yes, technically it should have an OT in front of it. But give me a break about giving him a hard time for posting it (not you Dunbar) in this forum. For those of us in here that actually know basketball and quite a bit about its' history, I would like to be kept up to date when an icon passes away. I had not heard about his passing prior to seeing it here. I would rather gain knowledge (of his passing) than to be ignorant of it.

parquetfloor wrote:Yes, technically it should have an OT in front of it. But give me a break about giving him a hard time for posting it (not you Dunbar) in this forum. For those of us in here that actually know basketball and quite a bit about its' history, I would like to be kept up to date when an icon passes away. I had not heard about his passing prior to seeing it here. I would rather gain knowledge (of his passing) than to be ignorant of it.

May Coach Newton RIP.

Totally agree with this. Attacking someone for posting this here speaks to either a message board troll, or someone with an agenda against the original poster.